STALL THE POLL
Prof Vote delay would be best if virus is still likely to be problem
An urgent summit to decide on postponing May ’ s Holyrood elections should be held by Parliament’s presiding officer, a leading constitution expert claims.
James Mitchell, professor of Public Policy at Edinburgh University and a regular Scottish Government senior adviser, bel ieves the vote should be delayed if Covid-19 is likely to remain a major health crisis.
But he has warned the window of opportunity to do that is closing – and even if the election goes ahead, talks are needed to ensure an agreed format.
The May 6 poll could have far-reaching repercussions for Scotland and the UK, with the SNP certain to insist a majority win provides a mandate for a second independence referendum.
Mitchell said: “There needs to be a decision on whether we’re going to postpone the election.
“There will come a time when it’s too late to do that so that decision needs to be taken soon.
“My view is that if the pandemic is still going to be a major issue, then it would be best to postpone in order to get a clean and clear result that cannot be disputed.
“If you leave it to the end of this month, it will be getting too late.
“There needs to be a meeting of the par ties , probably facilitated by the presiding officer Ken Macintosh, because this needs to be done as consensually as possible.
“Even if the election is going ahead, the other big question is what kind of campaign is there going to be.
“There needs to be conditions and rules and all of that has the potential to impact on the perception of the legitimacy of the result. This is an incredibly impor tant elect ion for Scotland, given the SNP’s hope that it will deliver a mandate for another referendum.”
New legislation designed to ensure the election can take place fairly and safely was backed by MSPs in December.
The Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Bill provided powers to conduct the election di f ferent ly and for it s postponement if necessary. This would be done via a vote in Holyrood or, if Parliament couldn’t meet, the presiding officer could also order a delay of up to six months.
Mitchell added: “The noise coming from the SNP suggests they’re keen for it to go ahead and they point out that there has been elections across the world during the pandemic.
“But they will also be thinking of the fact the SNP have been riding high in the polls.
“The other parties have been a bit more cautious about what they’ve said. They don’t want to be seen to be pushing for a postponement at this stage because they know the SNP could pounce on that.”
The dissolution of Parliament has been moved to May 5 instead of March 25 to ensure MSPs can pass emergency legislation to delay the election. Under normal circumstances, once Parliament dissolves, it cannot be recalled because each politician’s term of office ends with the dissolution.
The Scottish Government declined to comment on the possibility of a postponement.
Last week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I see no reason at this stage why the election wouldn’t go ahead.
“I think everybody would agree it’s really important that our democratic processes continue and that elections happen.
“There have been elections in many other countries over the course of the pandemic.”
This needs to be done as consensually as possible